A Higher Bar

A More Flexible Style

You might not be a bemuscled strong man who can run, backflip, and propel your body across a mat with the grace of a cheetah, like these modern-day gladiators. But you can still pull off a tank top, the white-hot '80s revival of the moment. Designers from American Apparel to Dries Van Noten are cranking out versions in vivid colors and graphic patterns guaranteed to make you look like you can, uh, pommel a horse. Unlike their beach-bound ancestors, modern tanks have a slimmer fit that hits right below the waist. You will wear them with trunks, jeans, even a blazer—basically anything you'd pair with a tee. But you will not call them wife-beaters. These aren't tacky or cheap-looking. They're damn near heroic.—Andrew Richdale

A Higher Bar

When you think "Tank top," do you immediately think of Jersey Shore meatheads? Well, think again. Meet the new, designer-endorsed tank—sportier and more dignified, just like the guys wearing them here: six of America's top gymnasts, some of whom will be defying gravity for God and country at the London Olympics

You might not be a bemuscled strong man who can run, backflip, and propel your body across a mat with the grace of a cheetah, like these modern-day gladiators. But you can still pull off a tank top, the white-hot '80s revival of the moment. Designers from American Apparel to Dries Van Noten are cranking out versions in vivid colors and graphic patterns guaranteed to make you look like you can, uh, pommel a horse. Unlike their beach-bound ancestors, modern tanks have a slimmer fit that hits right below the waist. You will wear them with trunks, jeans, even a blazer—basically anything you'd pair with a tee. But you will not call them wife-beaters. These aren't tacky or cheap-looking. They're damn near heroic.—Andrew Richdale